CJ7

CJ7 (Hong Kong)

Fans of slapstick comedy may be pleasantly disappointed

The Gist

Stephen Chau is a construction labor, who loves his son very much, whom is trying more than to make ends meet. One day he finds a toy in a dumpster which turns out to be more than just a toy. It’s an alien toy. Will it change their lives forever?

What Do I Think?

Three years of wait for this film? I think it’s the name that sells. People looking for this film in a directory should not go under C but S instead. It should be called Stephen Chau’s CJ7. Fans of Chau could be slightly surprised as the main star isn’t Chau himself, but a young girl named Xu Jiao (who plays his son).

If you were expecting non-stop physical and verbal comedy you may be taken aback because this element is at its minimal here. The backbone of the whole film is a father-son relationship story, of how bonding goes in a struggling family, or rather, a retelling of a story loosely based on Stephen Chau’s life when he was young.

You may need tissues for this one.


I like the way Chau relates his childhood experiences in this one. It’s from the screenplay that brings reminisces of how I used to speak to my dad/mum when I was a kid. Back when I was six or seven, they were my indeed my heroes and every single need a problem would be handled by them, only to be much taken granted by myself. During early meetings between Xu and Chau, I’m pretty sure she was reenacting my styles of talking to my parents when I was his age. “Dad, my shoes are torn. Get me new ones. Quick.”


Chau must have been tired of being labeled as a mou lei tau (nonsensical/slapstick) and lately, a martial arts (sort of) specialist. This could have possibly driven him to explore into a little different genre that he never really been challenged to before.

The entire structure of the film is not tight enough. You can see that the flow is rather unjustified towards the end. The editing could have been rushed. After all, Chau only took a year to make this. The other two years of absence? Well invested in sleeping, of course. (according to Chau in an interview)

I don’t particularly enjoy the scenes where the kids were playing/fighting. The two oversized kids just somehow doesn’t work for me. Chau tries, but they won’t be some classic characters in time to come.


Like Gen-Y Cops, the special effects are almost of the core attention here. Thankfully, the CGI is well used here to create a memorable alien creature. I’m sure it brought smiles and girls to love it. I myself find it cute.

Nevertheless, the audience will watch this regardless of whatever word of mouth it may spread to. It is, after all, a Stephen Chau movie.


Rating: 6/10

Last updated: 2009-08-11 21:45:03 by joekhor